utenzi

I read an article in Seed , a science publication positioned between the serious research journal and the wide circulation science magazines, the other day that sparked my interest. The article focused on the role of hedgehog, a gene I mentioned in a post the other week , in how the Mexican blind cavefish--pictured over there to the left--lost its eyes over time. The article, written by Pz Myers , explores various biological explanations for why a species would lose functionality, such as flightless birds or eyeless fish. The species he focuses on is the Mexican blind cavefish which dwells in underground rivers where they are never exposed to light. The first explanation, economical adaptation , is the one I learned in college, long before DNA analysis was available. This type of adaptation says that it requires a finite amount of time, energy, and effort to build an eye so that over time, if the eye doesn't contribute to the welfare of the species, the eye will cease to be made. T...